Bulls Set For Clash With Crosstown Rival Canisius On The Road Thursday Night
12/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
FULL GAME NOTES - BUFFALO (.PDF)
BUFFALO, NY - Looking to remain unbeaten, the University at Buffalo women's basketball team (7-0, 0-0 MAC) will travel to crosstown rival Canisius on Thursday night for a showdown with the Golden Griffins. The Bulls will look to tie a program record for best start to a season when they shoot for 8-0 on Thursday night at 7:00 pm at the Koessler Center.
UB HEADS TO CROSSTOWN RIVAL CANISIUS ON THURSDAY
The Bulls set their sights on tying a program record for the best start to a season in program history as they seek their second 8-0 start in program history. The Bulls enter Thursday's game as one of 19 undefeated teams in the nation as the Golden Griffins enter with a 2-5 mark and a 1-1 MAAC record. Canisius is coming off of a victory over Monmouth last time out. Thursday's game will tip at 7:00 pm and will air live on ESPN3.
BULLS HAND HOFSTRA 24-POINT LOSS
After being embarrased on the road last season at Hofstra, the UB women's basketball team earned some revenge on Sunday afternoon as they handed the Pride a 74-50 loss, a 69-point turnaround from a season ago. The Bulls dominated the second half as they used a season-best 27-point fourth quarter to put the Hofstra Pride away. Stephanie Reid was all over the court for the Bulls on Sunday as she netted a season-high 16 points, four assists and three steals while JoAnna Smith finished off her game with 16 points. Cassie Oursler continued her strong play with 14 points, six rebounds and three blocks in the Bulls seventh straight win.
BUFFALO GARNERS HIGHEST RPI IN PROGRAM HISTORY
The NCAA released their first RPI rankings of the season on Wednesday morning and the undefeated UB women's basketball team came in at #15, the highest RPI in program history. The 7-0 start for the Bulls marks their second best start to a season in program history as they started 8-0 in 2000-01. RPI stands for Rating Percentage Index which is a quantity used to rank basketball teams based upon a team's wins, losses and strength of schedule.
FAMILIAR FOE
This marks the 44th meeting of all-time between the two Big 4 foes with the Golden Griffins holding the 30-13 all-time series lead over the Bulls. UB has found some success as of late however, winning three straight and five of the last six against Canisius. UB dominated the Golden Griffins last year at Alumni Arena as the Bulls claimed the 54-40 win, the lowest point total for Canisius in series history since 1971 when they were held to 37 points in a 42-37 loss at home.
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
With a 7-0 record, the UB women's basketball team is one of just 16 teams in the nation still unbeaten with at least seven victories. The Bulls and Boise State are the only two mid-major programs with at least a 7-0 record so far this season. Buffalo is also the lone team in the state of New York with an unblemished record this season.
NON-CONFERENCE STRENGTH
The Bulls have begun to have success in the non-conference portion of their schedule recently as over the past 3+ seasons, UB owns a 29-13 record against non-conference foes. The Bulls were especially good against non-conference opponents last season as they owned a 8-4 record after starting the season off at 6-0. The Bulls are 7-0 against non-conference foes so far this season as they are winning by an average of 15.2 PPG.
SPREAD OFFENSE
One of the major strengths of the Bulls this season has been their depth at every position. The Bulls have played all 13 players in at least three games this season while 12 players have appeared in at least five games. Buffalo has seen 11 players net at least seven points in a game this season and they have been led in scoring by five different players through seven games. UB has had at least eight players score in at least six of seven games this season.
THE PINE IS FINE
The Buffalo bench continued to be very servicable on Sunday afternoon in the win over Hofstra as the Bulls had five bench players score at least one basket. The Bulls held the narrow 22-21 edge in bench scoring with Gabi Bade leading the way with seven points across 15 minutes. On the year, UB is 6-0 when their bench outscores their opponents bench while they are receiving an average of 28.3 PPG from their reserves on the year.
SHARING MINUTES
The depth of the Bulls has been a strength all season long and it has helped UB produce seven straight wins to start the season. All 13 UB players are averaging at least six minutes of action a game while only three UB players are averaging at least 20 minutes/game. The Bulls have nine players averaging at least 10 minutes/game while JoAnna Smith went from 34.4 minutes/game last season to 28.7 minutes/game this year, helping the senior stay fresh for another late season run.
SUCHAN MAKES FIFTH STRAIGHT START
Entering the season as a reserve hasn't slowed down the development of junior Mariah Suchan as she was awarded her fifth straight start of the season at power forward on Sunday. Suchan had another strong game defensively and she contributed on the offensive end of the court with four points, four rebounds and a career-high three assists. The junior also notched two steals and a block in the victory. The Witchita, KS native is averaging a career-best 17.4 minutes, 5.1 points and 5.6 rebounds so far this season. Suchan has earned eight career starts with the Bulls owning a 6-2 mark in those games.
OURSLER'S BLOCK PARTY
Junior center Cassie Oursler has continued to pick up her play as of late and this continued on Sunday in the win over Hofstra. The Grand Island, NY native went 7-for-12 from the floor for 14 points and six rebounds while earning a season-high three rejections across a season-high 32 minute outing. On the season, Oursler is averaging 20.7 minutes, 11.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while shooting 44.9% from the floor and 70.0% from the charity stripe. Dating back to last season, Oursler has scored in double figures in nine of her last 14 games while recording at least one block in 15 of 17 as she has turned into a defensive stopper inside the paint for UB. Oursler has notched 13 multi-block games in her 31 career outings.
NOT YOUR AVERAGE JO
UB leading scorer JoAnna Smith put together another strong game offensively for the Bulls in their 24-point victory over Hofstra. The Senior netted 16 points for the second straight game as she went 5-for-11 from the floor across 30 minutes of work. The Southaven, MS native was able to go 2-for-6 from behind the arc as she has now connected on at least one three pointer in 41 of her last 43 games and at least three triples in 24 of her last 43 games. With her second three on Sunday, Smith moved into fifth place on UB's all-time three pointers made charts with 133 in her career, just seven shy of fourth place. Buffalo improved to 6-0 this season and 25-11 over the past two seasons when Smith scores at least 10 points in a game. She also has currently netted 933 career points as she aims to become just the 23rd player in program history to surpass the 1,000-point plateau. On the season, Smith is averaging a team-best 12.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists while leading UB in scoring three times.
REID ALL ABOUT IT
Junior point guard Stephanie Reid continued to produce on both ends of the court in the Bulls win on Sunday. Reid was able to score in double figures for the fourth straight game as she netted a season-high 16 points, four assists and three steals in 35 minutes of work. The Australia native might have had a better day on the defensive end of the court as she was able to lock down the Pride's best scoring threat, limiting her to 11 points while causing her to turn the ball over six times. Reid has notched at least six assists in four of her seven games and has had seven assists in three games. With her final assist on Sunday, Reid moved into 11th place on the Bulls all-time assists charts as she has 275 career dimes. She is just five assists shy of 10th place on the all-time charts. After four straight strong outings, Reid is averaging 8.4 points, 5.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds while ranking second in the MAC in assist/turnover ratio (2.7) and being one of the best floor generals in the conference.
HEMPHILL CONTINUES TO SHOW FLASHES OF GREATNESS
Freshman forward Summer Hemphill continued to show spurts of greatness off the Buffalo bench on Sunday as she was able to net four points, five rebounds, two steals and a block across 12 minutes of action. The Buffalo native continues to cause problems for opposing teams with her length at the top of the Buffalo press while also settling in defensively as she has notched at least one block in four straight games and has recorded at least one steal in six of seven. Through seven career games, Hemphill is averaging 7.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks while ranking second in the MAC in field goal percentage (.633).
BAD(E) TO THE BONE
Sophomore Gabi Bade has proved to be a legitamate scoring threat off the Buffalo bench over her two-year career. The Milpitas, CA native continued to be a key component of the UB bench on Sunday as she finished the game with seven points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal in 15 minutes of work. Bade is having a career year for UB as she is averaging 19.0 minutes, 7.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists while also netting a career-high 16 points earlier in the season. UB is 2-0 this season and 4-1 over the past two seasons when Bade nets at least 10 points.
ONWUKA CONTINUES STEADY PLAY
Freshman Theresa Onwuka has continued to improve and earn the trust of the UB coaching staff through seven games this season. The lengthy guard finished off the win over Hofstra with four points, one assist and one steal as she used her quickness to draw two straight fouls and she converted on all four free throws. On the year, Onwuka is averaging 11.0 MPG, 3.6 PPG, 1.4 RPG and 1.0 SPG through seven career games.
FULL COURT PRESS
Junior forward Courtney Wilkins entered this season with a much improved defensive game which has garnered her more playing time so far this season for the Bulls. Wilkins came off the bench on Sunday and again provided the Bulls with solid minutes as she netted five points, two assists, one rebound and one steal across 11 minutes. Having Wilkins on the floor gives the Bulls another viable option from behind the arc. The sharpshooter is now averaging 3.9 points and 1.7 rebounds across 9.9 minutes/game this season.
UPS, UPS AND AWAY
Earning the starting nod for the second straight season at the small forward position, Katherine Ups was continued to grow into an important role player for the Bulls. The Wollongong, Australia native is a glue player for a very strong and deep Buffalo team and she continued to prosper in this role on Sunday. Ups finished off the game with two points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal in 21 minutes of action. On the year, Ups has started all seven games and is averaging 5.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals across an average of 19.6 minutes of action per game. The junior has earned 24 straight starts for the Bulls and UB owns a 17-7 record in those starts.
MORRISON GROWING INTO BENCH ROLE
After starting the first two games of the season at forward, Sophomore Brittany Morrison is expanding her game off the bench for the Bulls over the past five wins. The undersized forward came off the bench in Sunday's win and contributed three rebounds across nine minutes. The North Ridgeville, OH native is averaging 2.9 points and 4.0 rebounds across 12.4 minutes/game so far this season.
CLEANING THE GLASS
One of the keys to the Bulls success last season was winning the battle of the boards and this continued to be true in the Bulls win over Hofstra on Sunday. The Bulls and Pride were tied in rebounds, 35-35, as they Bulls improved to 7-0 on the year and 24-4 over the past two seasons when winning or tying the rebounding battle. The Bulls also used 11 offensive rebounds to outscore the Pride 11-10 in second chance points. On the year, UB ranks 12th in the NCAA in rebounding margin (+12.3) and 17th in offensive rebounds (18.0/game). UB is averaging 15.7 second chance points/game so far this season while holding their opponents to an average of 9.0/game.
TURNING THEM OVER
For the fifth straight game, UB was able to outscore their opponents off of turnovers as they held the 28-6 edge. Buffalo was able to produce a season-high 28 points off turnovers as they forced a season-high 26 Hofstra turnovers. On the year, UB is forcing an average of 18.3 turnovers/game while turning those turnovers into an average of 22.6 PPG.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The strength of the Bulls over the past two seasons has been their defense and that has continued early on this season as UB improved to 7-0 on the year after holding Hofstra to just 50 points on Sunday. The Bulls defense was outstanding for all 40 minutes as they were able to force a season-high 26 turnovers while recording 12 steals. The Bulls also held the Pride to 34.6% shooting and just 30.8% from behind the arc in the win. Buffalo improved to 31-7 over the last two seasons when holding their opponents under 70 points and are 13-0 when holding their opponents to scoring 50 points or less over the past two seasons.
RUNNING WITH THE BULLS
The Bulls haven't been known to be a team that likes to get out on the fast break and run but that trend has begun to change early on this season with the addition of some athletic and talented freshman. The Bulls held the dominant 13-2 edge in fast break points on Sunday as they improved to 7-0 on the year when winning this category. The 13 fast break points were a season-high for the Bulls as Stephanie Reid led the way with multiple transition layups to help UB pull out the 24-point victory. Over their seven wins, UB owns a 67-16 edge in fast break points.
SHOOTING FOR THE STARS
One of the keys to success for the Bulls over the past couple of seasons under head coach Felisha Legette-Jack has been shooting a better percentage from the floor than their opponents. The Bulls were able to do this once again on Sunday as they shot a season-best 48.1% from the floor while holding the Pride to just 34.6% shooting on the afternoon. UB is now 5-0 this season and 22-1 over the past two seasons when shooting a higher percentage from the floor than their opponents.
